A New Year's Kiss
by Ashi Ruby
Summary: It's New Years in Konoha and it's time to party! Neji is suckered into coming to the party, and in the end receives a kiss from Sakura. And what does he give in return? A cute fluffy NejiSaku oneshot to celebrate 2008!


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Author's Note: Happy New Year everyone! Let's all make 2008 the best year of our lives:) And as a start, a new one-shot! Yay!

A New Year's Kiss

"Oh, come on Neji! Do you really want to be the only one at home alone when the New Year rings in?"

"Hn."

"Gah! Hopeless!"

Tenten shook her head and waved an arm in the air in defeat, "Seriously, Neji! Think about it! Being around your friends when the twelve bells go off, and celebrating the end of this year and the start of the next together. Doesn't that sound like fun?" "No," came his flat reply, making the weapons mistress groan again. "Geez. Fine, then don't. Lee-kun and I will go ourselves," she said, walking away from the brown hair Hyuuga for the company of her boyfriend.

Neji Hyuuga never really understood what the big deal was about celebrating New Years. To him, it meant another year older and another year of training, missions, and the like; whatever came around really. Whether he spent it with friends or by himself was his own decision, and he wouldn't let anyone change that.

Until a flash of pink came into sight.

"Lee-san! Tenten-chan!" came the yell of one excited Sakura Haruno, waving to her two friends as she came running. "Ah, the beautiful youthful Sakura! Hello!" Lee said cheerfully. Tenten just smiled, "Hey Sakura-chan. What's up?"

"Just though I'd let you know that the party's going to be held at my place tonight instead of Ino's. I guess her parents are having some friends over tonight, so no teens allowed."

"I see. Is it still going to be the same time?"

"Yep. 7:00 until 12:30."

"Then we will all gather there tonight to ring in the New Year!"

"Heh, calm down Lee. I don't want another accident happening like last year."

"Yeah...I'm still sorry about that."

Sakura turned to see Neji standing a few feet away, "Hey, Neji-san! Are you coming tonight?" The Hyuuga was silent, making Tenten sigh. "He's planning on spending the night alone again," she said, shaking her head. Sakura's cheerful smile turned into a frown. "Aww, why? That doesn't sound like fun, Neji-san. You should come spend it with us. We're going to have music and food and stuff, and the countdown the bells, and we get to tease everyone who didn't get a New Year's kiss!" she said, looking over at Lee, who was now turning a bit red. Tenten only laughed, "Naruto was pretty hard on you, but in the end you still got a kiss! Although it was from Akamaru."

Neji only chuckled, remembering hearing that story of how the full grown Akamaru "cleaned" Lee's face of the red blush and white frosting of cake that was thrown in his face when he was glomped. Sakura smiled then, emerald meeting pale white, "So are you going to come, Neji-san?"

He was still quiet for a moment, then let out a defeated sigh. "Fine," he at last said, making the cheerfulness in Sakura's voice return. "All right then! See the three of you at 7:00! Gotta go tell everyone else now. Bye!" she exclaimed, waving behind her as she rushed off to find her other friends.

Tenten turned around and smirked at her teammate, "So, what happened to not coming?"

"Shut up."

* * *

"Hey Shino-san! Hey Kiba-kun! Welcome to the party!"

"Hello Sakura-san."

"Hey Sakura-chan. Happy New Years!"

Sakura smiled as she closed the door behind the two latest guests to arrive, watching them as they entered into a conversation with their fellow teammate Hinata and her (finally) boyfriend Naruto. Tenten and Lee were already there, talking about weapons and taijutsu (is there anything else they can talk about?), while Ino was yelling at Shikamaru over something that happened at training and Chouji just ate out of a bag of chips that he stole from the table in the kitchen. Sasuke, being usually quiet, sat in a corner of the room, sipping on a can of coke.

There was only one person missing. That person was Neji.

Sakura shook her head and was about ready to rejoin her conversation with Hinata and Naruto, another knock came on the door. She turned around just as fast as she did before and opened the door, revealing the last guest. "Hey Neji-san!" she exclaimed, receiving a nod in return. She closed the door behind him, "There's food in the kitchen and drinks in the fridge. Hope you have fun!" Again he nodded and found a corner for himself, making the pink hair girl sigh and rejoin her previous conversation.

* * *

"Ten minutes everyone!"

Everyone seemed to gather around the excited Hinata, with the exception of Neji and Sasuke. "Hey, both of you! Get over here!" Sakura yelled when she noticed the lack of their presence in the large group, currently sitting on the couch, recliner, and floor in front of the fireplace. Reluctantly they listened, really not wanting to spend the first day of the year in the hospital thanks to one of her angry-and-powerful punches.

"So, does everyone have a New Year's Resolution?" Ino asked, taking a sip of the warm cocoa Chouji brought (and dang does he make some good cocoa). Almost everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"Mine is to remain youthful and hope others share in that!" Lee exclaimed, making everyone sweatdrop.

"I want to be able to create even better ways to hold and bring out weapons," Tenten said next, making Neji roll his eyes as in saying "typical."

"Mine is to run the flower shop just as well as Mother did, since I start running it in Feburary," Ino said, receiving a comforting hug from Shikamaru.

"I hope to come up with at least three new recipes," Chouji said as he munched on a chip.

"Meh, I don't really have one. Other than watching clouds more often," Shikamaru said, getting an annoyed sigh from Ino.

"I hope I can get a girlfriend by the end of the year," Kiba said, sending a small, suggestive look over at Sakura which earned him a hit in the head from Naruto.

"I don't have one," Shino said plainly, earning a small sigh from Hinata. "I want to become a little more stronger," she added.

"I want to beat the record of most ramen eaten at Ichiraku's!" Naruto exclaimed, making almost everyone chuckle.

"I want to become stronger," Sasuke said just as plain as Shino, although he had a look towards Sakura that was nonchalantly giving her a different answer. She sighed and shook her head with a smile.

"Same for myself," Neji said, ignoring the look Sasuke was giving to the blossom.

Ino then looked over at Sakura, who was now hiding smiling lips behind a mug. "What's yours, Sakura?" she asked. Sakura only kept her smile, "Mine is to help as many people as I can. I want to bring happiness to everyone that needs that small smile or hope to keep them going." The room was silent as she took another sip of her cocoa until Naruto smiled brightly, "That's Sakura-chan for ya!"

Kiba looked up to see the clock. "Hey! One more minute! Come on, open the window and wait for the bells!" he said, already running over to the large window.

With help from Sakura, he opened the window and everyone was already there, heads sticking out in hopes that they can see the bells, resting on the top of Hokage Mountain, and waited impatiently for the twelve rings.

30 seconds left.

"Ack, the wait! I hate it!"

"Just be patient Naruto-kun!"

"Almost time!"

"Yes! Time to ring in the youthful New Year!"

13 seconds left.

"12!" Hinata exclaimed.

"11!" Kiba added.

"10." Shino popped in.

"9!" Ino yelled.

"8." Shikamaru said lazily.

"7!" Chouji said through a munch.

"6!" Tenten chimed in.

"5!" Lee added with a youthful yell.

"4." Neji said monotony.

"3!" Naruto jumped up and down in excitement.

"2." Sasuke said, a small smirk on his lips.

"1!" Sakura finished with a squeal.

The bells began to ring, one after another.

"Happy New Year!"

Hinata gave Naruto a peck on the lips as everyone tried to ignore the currently making out Tenten and Lee. Ino gave each a kiss on the cheek for Shikamaru and Chouji as Hinata turned and did the same for Kiba and Shino (much to the chagrin of the blushing Shino). Sakura gave a quick kiss on the cheek to Sasuke and Naruto before turning around and placing on Neji's cheek as well.

Neji was taken back by the cute action that Sakura gave him, not expecting the pink hair blossom to share the same affection she gave her teammates. He watched as she turned around, going to the kitchen to grab out a plate of cookies that she made to start off the new year.

* * *

"Thanks for coming guys. Happy New Year!" Sakura said as she waved at Ino and Shikamaru, now on their way back to their homes. She turned around to see only one last guest standing. "Hmm? Neji-san?" she asked, curious as to why he was the only one still there. He smirked, "You know, you're the only one that didn't get kissed this year." Sakura blushed a little bit, then laughed slightly. "I guess so. But hey, it gives you the chance to tease huh?" she asked, looking up at the white eyed prodigy.

He only kept his smirk as he approached closer, making her blush grow a deeper shade of red. "Teasing is childish," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek before walking past, "Happy New Year, Sakura-san." Sakura watched him open the door and close it behind him, then smiled. "Happy New Year, Neji-san," she said, walking away from the doorway to start picking up the trash and leftovers.


End file.
